Solo Mission
by Devil Mushroom
Summary: Leblanc is gone.What exactly happened during that period in Chapter 4 when Logos went out looking for her?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: First ever Fanfic, omg! I'm quite pleased with it actually (apart from my over use of the word 'quite'). Please review and tell me what you think, the next two chapters should hopefully come either later today or tomorrow. Alert me of any grammar or spelling errors too.

BTW I always thought Al Bhed Primer's were small spheres with like, recordings on them. You'll need to know that hehe.

* * *

Chapter 1 

A dark blanket began to enshroud the small but acclaimed region that was Guadosalam. Night was drawing closer and the inhabitants were beginning to retire. There were only stragglers left awake and they would soon return from their ventures via Moonflow or the Thunder Plains within the next hour. Usually the Leblanc Syndicate were part of these select few but not on this deplorable evening. Not a single living soul had left Seymour Guado's former mansion for quite some time.

Logos continued to glance round the meeting room and flick his fingernail against his glass of mead. The only other Syndicate member present was Ormi who sat slouched in a dwarfish, red armchair (that seemed to be struggling under his weight) and looking equally as ennuied. They had been silent for almost an hour now, the only sound filling it was the repetitive 'tink' of Logos' glass.

It was actually getting quite uncomfortable.

"So, erm" Logos finally said smoothly (though it still startled Ormi considerably), "what's our next plan of action?"

Ormi stared into the illuminated sphere in the middle of the room for a moment or two. It showed an intently detailed map of Spira, approximately 4-5 flashing, red points were dotted across it: each symbolising an uncovered sphere…hopefully. God the number of times they had gone to the very bare, edges of Spira and discovered that it was just an idle chocobo that had somehow gotten hold of one of those Al Bhed Primers. You would be amazed at how often it happens. Ormi eventually found the urge to turn away and reply to Logos with a shrug and a mumbled,

"I don't know."

"Oh, for the love of-!" Logos yelled slamming his fist down on the arm of his chair. "That doesn't help!" He swallowed the remainder of his mead in one foul swoop.

Logos glared forward, re-collecting his thoughts. He raised the glass to eye level and peered at its emptiness in…disgust? Alcohol always seemed to shorten Logos' temper, as a matter a fact he could become quite violent. However he was intelligent enough to stop himself before too much of the vile liquid could reach his brain and drown out his common sense. He placed the glass down on the table next to him, and slid it out of his reach. He looked at Ormi with an apologetic expression but did not speak. Pride is like one of those cod liver oil tablets: impossible to swallow.

He knew it wasn't entirely the concoctions fault though. Everyone was getting rather up tight lately. Leblanc being the cause of such angst. Less then a week ago news had reached them of Lord Nooj's disappearance, and since then she had not once left the shelter of her bedroom. Logos had been, somewhat discomforted by the news but Leblanc had been devastated. It was surprisingly heartbreaking, for everyone, when she sulked up to her room, not a word passing her lips; a look in her eyes similar to that of a chocobo that had just been run down by a careless hover.

Naturally the first to attempt to provide comfort were the female members of the Syndicate, you know how good they are with, you know those women troubles. Unfortunately it was a lost cause and the girls were rejected in quite a shocking manner. If anything it had made Leblanc determined to shut herself away longer. She wouldn't leave her room for anything, sphere hunting, visitors, not even meals. Nor did she give permission for anyone to enter. It was causing great concern throughout the Syndicate and in the foreground of everyone's mind was Leblanc's well being, but no more so than Logos'.

It was well known (unfortunately) that Logos enjoyed the female figure, a lot. Especially when it came to his viewing pleasure. What wasn't so well known was the fact that, even though he did delight in gawking at her backside, he did admire and respect Leblanc as a woman. If anything could be said he had quite the 'crush' on her. But alas the feelings just weren't returned and probably never would be. Logos tried many a time to consider other courtships however at the end of it all he just couldn't accept the fact that it could be anyone other then her. He had a good feeling that her wondrous image would haunt the back of his mind until his dying day. Good Lord that was depressing.

"I'm…going for some fresh air" Logos said indecisively, still quite frustrated. Ormi glanced up from the floor with a defeated face (he had been staring at it since Logos' outburst) and gave a quiet 'hmm' of acknowledgment.

Logos closed the door behind him swiftly; as he continued down the passage he slipped a cigarette into his mouth and fumbled for a match. Perhaps this showed just how anxious he was. He hadn't smoked in a very long time in deed; in effect he'd given it up…well, 'allegedly' given it up. The only times he ever did were times of great stress and that was exceedingly rare for a man as collected as he. It didn't particularly matter since Ochu pollen was essentially harmless, in fact it was said to be good for you on some level. However actually smoking it was not looked on as a gentlemen's trait, so if Logos was to 'light up' he'd do it in the privacy of his bedroom.

However he was desperate to clear his mind and the tension was getting overwhelming. He'd take this one publicly. He crossed the main hall and the entrance parlour in great strides, all the while struggling to get his now obtained match to strike a flame. Finally it became ablaze as he crossed the threshold and stood out into the damp, dark atmosphere. He inhaled as the cigarette absorbed the flickering glow.

"How's it going?" Came a somewhat goofy voice beside him.

Logos turned to the goon on duty and raised an eyebrow. The essence of 'what the hell do you want?' smeared across his face. He exhaled a stream of smoke through the side of his mouth.

"Not…good." He answered exasperated by the whole situation.

He stepped down from the porch and began to pace back and forth, taking the occasional puff as he did. The goons simply stared at him awkwardly, fidgeting every now and again. This was insane. You work hard enough to get a woman in the bedroom let alone get her back out. Logos inhaled again and gazed up to the framework over the front door. He stared at it for a good three minutes; in deep thought. He didn't look away until he realised just how much pollen was in his mouth and had to depose of it quickly by coughing it out. One of the goons looked a tad repulsed. Logos turned his nose up at the roll of paper then flicked it away bitterly.

"That's it." He said turning to the door and re-entering the mansion. "I've had enough."

The door flung shut. The goons glanced at each other, confused. Logos ascended the stairs confidently, until he was halfway up. He hadn't quite thought this through, had he? Outside he had been admittedly in a daze, whether it was the pollen (or the alcohol prior to it) he really wasn't sure but he hadn't considered this as much as he should have. Too late to turn back now though: it seemed his body had disconnected itself from his brain. Damn it! He hated when that happened. He was now advancing on Leblanc's bedroom door and the temptation for flight was getting stronger with each step. His hand touched the stone cold knob and turned it gentle. He veered the door open a fraction, a miniscule slither of light spilled out. He allowed the door to open a touch more so he could look round it and investigate.

"Boss?" He said just audible. No reply. "Boss?" he repeated this time louder.

His eyes scanned the bed but could not see her petite figure. He let the door swing open with a familiar but somewhat forgotten creak. He stepped onto the decorated marble floor.

"Leblanc?" Still no reply. Logos approached the bed and pulled back the gossamer veil.

Empty.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Next Chapter. I can't help feel that this one isn't as good as the first. Writing speech for these three is such a challenge, I'll type the simplest thing then read it back and think, 'I can't picture them saying that'. Man its just poo. Ah well, enjoy!

"Ormi I have to go! Don't know when I'll be back but got a good feeling it won't be for a while!"

Logos grabbed two flash bombs out of his bottom draw…hmm, now he thought about it, better take three.

"What? Where yous going?" Ormi said as he waddled into the room.

"I'm not quite sure." Was the simple reply. Logos continued to supply himself with all the essentials: potions, phoenix down (please don't let it come to that), remedies, antidotes etc.

Ormi was perplexed and stood there for a moment with a look of utter confusion not to mention a dash of stupidity.

"But why?"

'Oh that's what he meant'. The great rush to get this search party underway was causing Logos to forget himself.

"Leblanc is gone." He exclaimed crossing the room to retrieve his helmet from the bookshelf.

"WHAT!" Ormi practically shriek this exclamation and Logos had to stick his finger in his ear just to make sure his eardrum was still in tact. "When did she leave? Why didn't she tell us? Was she kidnapped! Who took her!"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Ormi!" Logos shouted in an effort to drown Ormi out. "Now," He began after Ormi had finally recuperated. "I need you to stay here. Think you can do that?"

"Why? Shouldn't we both go look for her?"

"I need you to stay here in case she returns. Or if anything crops up." Ormi looked a tad disappointed but his expression was more worried than anything. Logos put on his helmet and threw on his coat. As he exited the room he turned to Ormi,

"Call me if anything happens and I'll do the same." He tapped his intercom.

"Right" Ormi replied with a nod.

Logos closed the barrel of his gun and disappeared up the passage.

It was cold, raining and Logos was starting to fear the worst. He had been walking for six straight hours, six hours! That's a ridiculous amount of time. He had taken the route via the Thunder Plains and had travelled all the way to Zanarkand with no such luck. He had then retraced his steps and followed the route through Moonflow. He had decided to take another passage around Guadosalam on his return. He didn't really want anyone seeing him until he'd achieved what he set out to do. Ormi had only contacted him once and that was to simply ask where the peanuts were: it was his way of dealing with stress. Logos had Ochu pollen and alcohol, Ormi had peanuts. Although it had been irritating at the time Logos couldn't help feel a touch of sympathy for Ormi's great concern, for both Leblanc and himself.

Logos was now at the north end of the Mi'hen Highroad. Unless Leblanc had somehow managed to catch a boat to: Besaid, Kilika or Bikanel, Luca was his final destination. Logos was growing weary and was struggling to continue. He'd ran into a good number of fiends in the past few hours and taken quite a battering. Bruises decorated his body and he knew there must be slash somewhere on his leg as he felt a sticky, hot substance, which was undeniably that of blood. But it couldn't be too serious otherwise he wouldn't still be walking.

He rubbed his black eye and groaned. He trudged over the first of the two bridges above the highroad's valley not quite conscience but still vaguely aware of his surroundings. Logos heard a faint noise, a sort of high-pitched whistle. It must have been approximately ten miles away. There it was again, this time louder, perhaps it was getting closer, yes it must be about three miles away now. It repeated once more and this time the sound became more defined, Logos realised it was a scream and by it's volume he was directly above it. He snapped out of his daydream, he hadn't walked far; he was now on the second bridge. He peered over the railing, squinting to see what was causing such a distressing noise.

Three terrifyingly large Killer Hounds had congregated on the grassy earth below. A very infrequent site in deed, it was usually only Coyote that skulked the Highroad; Killer Hounds were more commonly found on Mount Gagazet. One appeared to be dragging something by one of its hind legs; the sound must have come from that unfortunate creature. Logos continued to sneer at the site; it was actually quite nauseating to see these three brutes preparing to rip their prey apart. He was about to turn away and continue up the Highroad, when he got the slight glimpse of something. He did a double take and leaned over the railing again to make sure what he saw was a bluff, unfortunately this was not confirmed as that distinct flash of magenta came into view again.

"No!" Logos gasped, eyes widening and mouth gaping.

He was still for second, gazing in horror and disbelieve. The ugly beast fiercely shook the leg it had in its jaws and the figure let out another painful shout.

Logos ran across the bridge and descended into the gorge praying he wasn't too late.

He fired a furious bullet at the hideous creature and it reeled back in pain, the other two growled but retreated slightly for fear they would be next. Now the grip had been released the figure on the grass scrabbled to its feet and staggered towards the nook between the set of steps the valley had formed and part of an ancient ruin. Thank God she was all right but the danger grew all the more ominous.

Leblanc was now backed up against the ancient structure and those vile fiends had re-gathered their confidence. They turned threateningly towards Logos, the deep rumble in their throats and their tensing muscles signifying that they were ready for a challenge.

A bead of sweat formed on Logos' forehead, he probably wouldn't have been so frightened had he not been so low on potions and other supplies. He twirled his guns on his forefingers, spinning the barrels and activating select bullets. The main hound grimaced and lunged forward. Logos fired and a bullet ripped a nasty hole through the wolf's lip but it still wanted its revenge meaning Logos received a hard slash across his chest. The second hound shot past Logos grabbing his arm in its fangs and shaking it savagely. Logos yelled as he was pulled backwards by the animal. He spun round and shot the monster right in its eye. It broke away and screeched in agony at its new profound blindness.

Logos felt a stinging pain in the back of his neck and was horrified to find the third was gnawing the flesh there. Logos threw his body weight forward causing the hound to disengage from him. As it skidded across the dirt Logos shot it in the ribcage. Perfect shot. The Killer hound gave a woeful yelp and vanished into a flock of pyreflies. Logos gave a wicked smile at his craftsmanship but the half blind hound pushing him to the ground interrupted the moment. Logos winced as its claws ripped through the fabric and skin, as well as the immense weight of the wolf crushing his bones. He groped for his gun, which had been knocked out of his right hand. His second pistol was still in his left hand, now trapped under his body. It was now dangerously stabbing him in the ribs and one false move could pull the trigger and end this battle. Logos stretched his gloved fingers as far as they could reach and finally he was able to snatch up the revolver. With all his strength he flung himself over causing the hound to falter and roll onto the grass. The wolf tried to regain itself but Logos was too quick for it, casting a flash bomb into its mitts. Another cloud of pyreflies was set loose with a miserable howl.

Logos got to his and feet and twirled his guns once more prepared for the final contender. The area was deserted; the last hound was nowhere to be seen. Did it run in fear? The answer came immediately with a deadly growl. Logos spun round to see the Killer hound's demonic silhouette on one the topmost steps of the valley. Saliva dripping from its tongue and a glint of hunger in its red eyes. Leblanc gazed up from her small corner, an expression of dread and pure fear on her face, something very rarely seen.

The hound leapt from its perch and dived towards Logos. It's mouth hung open exposing it's jagged fangs and allowing the spittle to leak out. For Logos everything seemed to be in slow motion for a moment. He stared in terror at a single drop of saliva that reflected an image of a skull and cross bones. Logos spun the barrel of his gun and held it taught in front of him. A deep, agonising pain sunk into the left side of his abdomen and everything around him began to blur. His world transforming into a black oasis of nihilism. He cried out in pain as the great wolf ripped and torn his flesh, his strength was seeping out of his body and he was becoming unable to fight back. Logos gripped his revolver hard and used all his remaining strength to pull the trigger. Bang!

The light vanished from the animal's eyes and with a light whimper it's jaws unhinged and it collapsed onto the ground, blood matting its dirty fur. It dispersed into a final set of pyreflies and then there was no more.

Logos stood still for a moment trying to catch his breath. He inhaled deeply to calm himself but instead it caused an acute spurt of pain. Logos clutched his side and fell to his knees, placing his free hand on the now muddy earth for support. Leblanc watched him intently, she would have run to his aid but her bloody ankle had other plans. She waited to see his reaction, by the looks of things he was reading to abandon himself but no. He got to his feet gingerly and began to approach her.

"Boss, are you alright?" He inquired taking one of her slender arms so she could lean on him.

She could tell he was still in a great deal of pain but he seemed to be masking it exceedingly well.

"I'm fine now, love." She answered. "Just a bit shocked that's all."

"Can you walk?"

Leblanc looked down at her left ankle, it truly was a mess. That beast had shredded the embroidered fabric of her boots and peeled away the skin underneath. Her foot was completely numb and from the shin down her leg was coated in sticky, crisp blood. She was quite sickened by the sight but hid it quickly and briskly replied,

"Yes, yes I can. It's just a flesh wound I'll be-Ah!"

She had tried to step forward but a strong flash of pain had caused her leg to freeze up. With a distressed yelp she'd fallen into Logos who look extremely worried (and maybe a tad pleased but that was not in context to the situation as a whole).

"I beg to differ." He paused. "Well I guess there's only one way we'll get back to the Chateau then." He removed his helmet and handed it to her, "here you may need it."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: The End. This was a bit of a mission as I said before I'm not very confident at writing speech for these guys. Though I am relatively pleased with this chapter's outcome even though it does get a bit cheesy.

Come on guys, please review it's quite dishearten when I've gone to so much work and not gotten any feedback.

EDIT: Re-uploaded, because parts were incorrect and I'd got muddled with the Crimson spheres.

After a long three-hour walk they were finally advancing on Guadosalam. The soft, squelch of Logos' boots on the damp ground was the only sound that filled the ominous silence. Leblanc lay gloomily in Logos' arms, holding his helmet over her head to protect her hair from the downpour. Logos was receiving the main wrath of the weather; he was soaked to the bone. His eyes were barely visible through his mop of wet, black hair but Leblanc knew his expression was solemn and concentrated. Leblanc assumed this concentration was due to the fact that he needed all his strength to focus on getting home and ignoring the obvious searing pain in his side.

As they approached the front door of the Mansion the goons began to whisper furiously, both in shock and relief at the sight of them both. One hurriedly opened the door and stood aside so Logos could enter, he gave a comforting smile towards Leblanc before returning to his post. Logos breathed a sigh and gave his head a light shake in order to dispose of some of the water that had latched itself to his hair. He climbed the stairs wearily, he seemed to have let down his guard, and Leblanc saw a noticeable change in his posture she hadn't realised just how mauled he was.

Leblanc was extremely thankful when they entered her room. It was wonderful to feel the warmth and safety of home once more especially after the events that had unfolded. It was very calming to hear the gentle trickle of water from the fountain on the far right of her bedroom, as well as see the hard yet somewhat welcoming eyes of her Nooj statue. Though after a moment she had to look away from it knowing it was not reality and Nooj was still missing. The most inviting vision though, was that of her bed. As Logos laid her down her head sunk into the fluffy pillows and the soft blanket swallowed her body so she was incarcerated in a cocoon of warmth and pure comfort.

Logos squeezed what he could grab of his short hair to remove some more pesky droplets.

"There's a towel in the bathroom if you want to use it, love." Leblanc said sitting up slightly.

"Thanks, boss."

"And while you're at it, fetch me my nightgown."

"Yes, boss." It wasn't till after he said it he realise that their had been a little too much zeal in his voice than deemed necessary

He wandered into the huge, limestone room and nabbed the towel that hung on the rack beside the massive bath. Forget about bathing, you could do a decent twenty laps in that tub, and Leblanc had a habit of spending up to an exclusive two hours in it's depths. He draped the towel over his head and ruffled his hair fiercely finally discarding all the excess water. He replaced the towel but not before considering wrapping it round his wounded chest, best not, likelihood is that it would stain the cotton and Leblanc would not be pleased.

He crossed the room to a carved, wooden door that depicted images of delicate angels. He opened it to reveal a long corridor with all kinds of majestic garments hanging on either side. The majority of which blazed a bright pink. Logos' eyes widened. God, it was like being a kid in a candy store. He stepped into the wardrobe and gazed round at all the fascinating clothes. This was quite exciting if anything, Logos had never seen Leblanc in much else other then her magenta dress however he had seen her in one of (what he assumed) many nightgowns. He continued down the corridor until he reached her nightwear (occasionally stopping to gawk at a particular outfit and at one point he did edge open a draw to be met by a lovely pair of silk knickers). His eyes glanced over the silky fabric, when did Leblanc wear half of these? Was it when Nooj was here? Logos had certainly never seen them. He shuddered slightly, the thought of Leblanc doing it with a 'cyborg' made him feel slightly ill.

He flicked through the gowns, his smile grower bigger with each passing attire. Finally he came to that familiar dress. It was a long, pink (obviously), satin gown with a low back and three slits cut into it. Two on either side that would come up to about her thigh and one down the chest that terminated just above her hips with pink thread woven in a zigzagged fashion across it. Leblanc always seemed to have a desire to show off her fabulous cleavage and toned mid drift, she certainly wasn't modest. Logos had always found it rather alluring and personally quite enjoyed it (hey if you've got it, flaunt it) although he had to admit at times he found it difficult not to stare.

He carefully removed it from its hanger and carried it back to the bedroom, making sure none of the dainty clothe dragged upon the floor. It seemed Leblanc had reverted to her original stat: her expression was melancholy and disconnected. She didn't even notice that Logos had returned until he gave a light cough.

"Oh, there you are, well you took your time."

Logos rolled his eyes but still gave a small smirk, yes definitely back into her original stat, the lashings out and harsh phrases had started already. She took the dress from him and removed her gloves. She was about to detach herself from her patterned dress when she turned to Logos. She paused and gave him a hellish scowl,

"Do you mind?"

"No." He couldn't help it. It just spilled out. He hadn't even realised he was staring. He had to recover and quick. "Oh, oh, sorry, of course."

He turned around and slapped himself hard in the forehead (perhaps a little too hard because it made an embarrassingly loud 'smack'). This sort of thing had happened many times before but for some reason it always seemed to just get more and more humiliating. This must be the tremendous downfall of having testosterone as high as a bull.

"Could you help me with this, love?" Came a voice after a few minutes.

Logos hoped it would be a stuck zip but unfortunately Leblanc was referring to her left boot. Logos had almost forgotten about her serious injury and it seemed she was really struggling to get the footwear off without causing herself harm. He knelt by the edge of the bed and inspected the boot trying to figure out a way of removing it without hurting her. He could cut the fabric away and then slip it off; the boot was shredded to pieces anyway. However the material was quite taught around her leg and he feared that he might cut away more skin if he did attempt such a plan.

"I think," he said slowly, "we're just going to have to brace ourselves and pull it off."

Leblanc bit her lip nervously. She re-adjusted herself and gave an anxious cough.

"Erm, ok, on three?"

"If you wish?"

Leblanc inhaled, Logos raised an eyebrow in concern and gripped the boot.

"Short and sweet," he said trying to calm her, "quick like a bandage."

She nodded and began.

"One…two…" she paused, "three."

Logos tugged hard on the boot and eased it off as fast as he could. It turned out to be a lot more challenging then it at first seemed. The blood had dried round the cut seems of the fabric causing it to hook onto the skin in some areas. Leblanc winced and actually gave quite an unnerving whimper once she was free of the boot. Logos placed the boot on the floor and looked back to Leblanc's ankle. It seemed the wound had now been re-opened and fresh blood was beginning to seep out.

Logos took the final potion from his supplies. Leblanc was lucky he had one spare, he'd used the rest up while fighting fiends prior to finding her and unknown to her he had quickly used one to up his strength before starting back on their journey to Guadosalam. He poured it over the cut and allowed it to soak in, Leblanc gritted her teeth and clenched the bed sheets as the liquid made contact, causing a sharp sting in her leg.

"Ow." She said in an annoyed tone.

"Yes, quite, but that should help. Hopefully most of it will heal up over night. Though chances are it'll probably scar, it's already looking rather scabby."

Leblanc stared at Logos for a moment a little confused and nauseated.

"Oh, sorry." Logos replied when he noticed her expression. "What I meant is, it'll take time but it will get better."

"Right." She relaxed a little and began recline into her mountain of pillows.

"You wouldn't happen to have any bandages in here, would you?" Logos inquired.

"Oh, for your side?" She responded, sitting up again as she remember his injury.

Logos was somewhat taken aback. He didn't think she would have that reaction to such a simply question. Neither did he think she'd even recall his own wound or even to actually acknowledge it.

"Actually," he answered, "I was going to use it to bandage your shin."

Leblanc blinked. He was being surprisingly selfless, wasn't he?

"Oh, well, there should be a small roll in the bottom draw of my dresser."

Surely enough there was, and indeed it was a small roll but enough to suffice for her wound. The room was silent while Logos began to wrap the material round her elegant ankle. Leblanc was staring blankly at the fountain ahead of her. She was obviously in deep thought and her eyes seemed to be screaming to cry. Every now and again Logos would hit a tender spot and she'd quail slightly but otherwise she was completely motionless. Her hostile silence was getting a bit too much for Logos.

"So why did you run off without telling us?" It had to be asked sooner or later, best to hit the nail on the head from the word 'go'.

Leblanc looked rather astounded by the question but realised that she would have to explain her actions.

"I wanted to go by myself." She answered.

Logos gave her a serious look; it was rather alarming. She sighed.

"I got a signal on my map of a sphere. It had very clear waves and I wondered if it was important. At first I didn't take much notice but the waves just kept growing stronger and it made me think, what if it was," she had made herself rather emotional. She gave her eye a light wipe and re-collected herself, "about Nooj? About why he disappeared. Where to find him."

"But why didn't you tell us? Why by yourself? Look what happened to you, God forbid if I hadn't found you. If anything had happened to you, I would never have been able to for-." He stopped; he'd gone too far. He cleared his throat and made a signal with his eyes for her to reply.

"I wanted to do it on my own. It was between Nooj and me, personal. Besides you two always come with me and I wanted to prove to myself that I _can_ do without." She looked down at her hands guiltily. "Obviously I can't."

"No," Logos intervened, "I've seen you do plenty of missions on your own and let me say you never cease to amaze me or Ormi. You're a fine fighter." He gave her an encouraging smile. She smiled back. "Perhaps being locked up in here for the past few days made you forget your skills, maybe gave you less confidence." She nodded gently. "And perhaps not eating properly for a while caused you to be weaker in battle." He raised an eyebrow; she looked a little ashamed.

"I-." She began but that was all she could say.

"We've been very concerned. Needless to say it's been very tense and played hard on my nerves running the syndicate without you. I wonder whether you know how much we all worry about you sometimes. How much we admire and respect you. How much we care."

She twiddled her fingers awkwardly. There came the same inhospitable silence once more. However it did not last anywhere near as long as the first time, as Leblanc spoke up.

"I'm sorry. It was foolishly of me to run off like that, you're right it was dangerous." Logos was stunned by her apology. She looked up from her hands and made absolute eye contact with him. "And I'm sorry for causing you, all of you, so much anxiety. I'd didn't realise I'd affected you so."

Something about her gaze, it was hypnotising. She was telling him something but he dare not define what it was in case he turned out to be wrong. For some reason it caused his insides to melt and he could feel his face getting hot. He smiled shyly and had to look away for a moment.

"It's alright." He finally said. "You had your reasons and I can't deny you your humanity. No one's perfect, we all slip up at one time or another." Did he just say 'I' instead of 'we'? Ah shit. But she didn't notice in fact it seemed she was quite relieved and grateful.

Logos wrapped up the last of the wound and made sure it was secure before arising to his feet.

"So did you find the sphere?"

"Hmm?" Leblanc replied dreamily. "Oh, yes, as matter a fact I did, love."

She pulled out a red-pigmented sphere from the folds of her magenta dress, which now lay in disarray next to her. Logos was quite curious as to exactly where she had extracted it from, that dress wasn't very practical for carrying supplies and what not.

"I found it a little closer to home fortunately. The waves on the map displayed it being in Luca not too far from the stadium. I found this odd dome shaped thing that I thought might be it but it made some funny noises and after a while and I realised it was filming me! Or filming everything around me, I'm not sure I think I was holding it backwards. So anyway I couldn't find it so I used the sphere detector. I was running all over Spira's south for hours and it didn't communicate much at all till I reached the highroad. A group of travellers told me they had seen something red flashing earlier on one of the valley's ledges. I managed to get to it but when I descended I was greeted by that pack of brutes, and then you showed up." She gave a small shrug then gazed intently into the sphere. "I haven't had the chance to watch it though."

"Well let's watch it now then."

Leblanc passed the sphere to Logos and he placed it on a small pedestal next to the fountain Leblanc had been previously staring at. A section of wall behind the water feature opened up to reveal a screen that flashed repeatedly as it tried to register the sphere. The screen buzzed into life.

Logos' heart nearly stopped when he saw the image appear on the screen. It was a recording of none other then that fateful Mi'hen operation and that young girl…oh what was her name? The one with the Gullwings. Ache? Agony? Paine, that was it, she was recording it. Logos had to admit though he was intrigued: he'd never actually seen any of their recordings only those recordings of the report Ormi and him were forced to make.

It was so, irksome. At first it seemed to be a simple recording of Kinoc's plan becoming a complete success: approximately forty odd squadron blowing themselves to pieces. However it soon became much more haunting. It seemed Lords Nooj, Baralai and Gippal had been taken over by some strange invisible force; it was almost like their bodies had been inhabited by the pyreflies that floated all around that ghostly cave. The events that occurred after that were almost unreal, sending a dark shiver up Logos's spine. He couldn't quite explain why it disturbed him so, perhaps because he was partly responsible for them going in that cave in the first place, because he later was sent to kill them or perhaps it was simply because he knew that they were all still alive and still had question left unanswered.

Leblanc was now sitting bolt upright,

"Noojie?"

Logos turned to her. She looked absolutely mortified, her eyes wide and face pale.

"Wha-What was going on?"

Logos bit his lip,

"I can't say, very strange though I must admit."

"Well, where were they? What was going on? And why was that Dullwing girl with them?"

He did not reply, but instead look away idly, trying hard to not attract any more attention to himself. Leblanc was utterly defeated now, falling back into her pile of pillows with an anguished sigh. Logos couldn't help feeling at fault in this situation but he couldn't tell her, it just wouldn't be right. Logos and Ormi had agreed along time ago not to tell Leblanc the truth about their past. It had never been something they were proud of and so they kept it hidden away. Logos looked back at Leblanc slowly, and pondered for a moment.

"Perhaps those Gullwings know something, like you said that one was recording it."

"Yes." She said sitting up gingerly. "Yes, that one's obviously hiding something! Though I don't really want to go running to those Dullwings for help."

"I don't think we have much of a choice."

She sat back in a huff.

"Boss," Logos said in a somewhat patronising tone.

"Oh, alright. We'll see them as soon as their little concert's over."

As she finished her sentence she let out a low yawn. She groaned and rubbed her weary, red-rimmed eyes.

"Perhaps you should get some rest, regain your strength." Logos said observantly. He began towards the door, "good night, boss."

She was about to say the same but a thought struck her. A strange realisation she had yet to take in.

"Logos!" He turned his head, a little surprised. "Come here."

She motioned with her hand for him to come closer. He approached her looking a tad bewildered. He knelt beside her but she continued to signal for him to come closer, now he was really confused. Suddenly there was the feather light touch of her hand on his cheek and her glossy lips against his. It was only a short peck but Logos didn't care, he'd bottle this memory away for a raining day. Leblanc broke away and laughed nervously,

"Thank you."

Logos stared with wide eyes. (Leblanc cocked her head slightly; this was the first time she'd seen his eye colour. A dusky emerald.)

"Pleasure." There was that zeal again.

Logos practically waltzed out her bedroom all the while a stupid grin plastered on his face, but did he care? Not one bit. As he closed the door behind him he pulled back his left arm in a victorious motion.

"Ye-AH!" Well that wasn't smart.

He collapsed onto his knees grabbing his side, however this time he didn't mind the dull pang quite so much.

"Logos? Is that you?"

Ormi came tottering up the stairs, his brow furrowed.

"Are yous alright? Where's Leblanc?"

"Everything's fine now. I tended to Leblanc, she's now in bed and wishes not to be disturbed."

"What happened?"

Logos looked up at Ormi who was now knelt down next to him.

"Ormi, believe me when I say I've had the best night of my life."

"Ah yous not gonna get me this time. Quit with the sarcasm and tell me what happened."

Oh if only he knew.


End file.
